3rd Test: Australia Pick Paceman Jackson Bird Against South Africa

Jackson Bird will play as Australia’s third gait bowler in a day-night Test opposite South Africa here, skipper Steve Smith pronounced on Wednesday.

Tasmania’s Bird pipped Adelaide-born quick bowler Chadd Sayers to a final mark with under-fire spinner Nathan Lyon holding on to his place in a pink-ball, third and final Test that starts on Thursday.

“Jackson Bird is in,” Smith told reporters. “He took five-for in his final Test match. He’s bowled good with a pinkish round in a (Sheffield) Shield games he’s played.

“He’s batted good in a nets here and he deserves an opportunity. So it’s detrimental for Chadd (Sayers) to be blank out on his home ground, though we’ve left with Jackson Bird.” That means Australia will margin 3 debutants in Adelaide — English-born opener Matt Renshaw, middle-order batsmen Peter Handscomb and Nic Maddinson.

Smith pronounced he wanted to play a spinner in Adelaide, that has a repute for holding spin.

“We were always penetrating on personification a spinner in this diversion and that’s a approach we’ve left with Nathan Lyon,” Smith said. Heavy defeats in a initial and second Tests have plunged Australia into crisis, call a arch selector to quit and a thespian group reorganization with 6 players axed for a Adelaide Test.